The Port Community System (PCS) project has been launched to drive smart port development, the Transport & Logistics Bureau announced today.

The system aims to promote digitalisation within Hong Kong’s port community, enhance cross-sector information interconnectivity, and advance smart port development, in order to consolidate and enhance the Hong Kong Port’s competitiveness and the city’s status as an international maritime centre, the bureau explained.

The PCS’ pilot data sharing platform began phased testing of specific cargo clearance processes in early 2023. After rigorous testing and optimisation, the Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) will assist the bureau in the full development of the system, with installation to be completed by the end of 2025, and implementation for industry use starting in early 2026.

The system will provide round-the-clock, real-time cargo tracking, integrate sea, land and air transport data, and offer value-added electronic services such as the One-Data-Multiple-Declarations function.

Officiating at the PCS project's launch ceremony, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan said the PCS is a critical infrastructure for the future development of Hong Kong’s port and maritime sectors.

“Led by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and widely supported by the industry, the PCS digitally connects Hong Kong, the Mainland and the international maritime community.

“It will also help facilitate trade and capital flows, enhance Hong Kong’s resilience and influence as an international maritime centre to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex international environment, and serve our country’s strategic goal of becoming a maritime powerhouse.”

The bureau supplemented that it will also initiate a new phase of trial in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to explore leveraging cargo status data within the PCS to facilitate trade finance processes, with a view to helping financial institutions and small and medium enterprises reduce credit costs and processing time. To ensure that the system aligns with industry needs, the bureau has established a Strategic Advisory Panel and an Industry Expert Liaison Group, bringing together industry leaders to provide insights on the PCS’ development.

Additionally, during today's launch ceremony, the Transport & Logistics Bureau signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the LSCM and Guangdong e-Port Management Company. Areas of collaboration include exploring the use of the PCS to provide a pre-filling and pre-submission function for ocean manifests for vessels entering the Mainland, so as to provide further convenience for system users.